Story perspectives

Chinese Fossils Reveal Cambrian Bryozoans, Ediacaran Origins

6/4/2026

Summary

Story summary

Scientists in China reported 520-million-year-old bryozoan fossils that confirm the group's Cambrian presence.
The Xiannüdong Formation specimens include Protomelission gatehousei and a new species, Dayingomelission hexaclitia.
Dr. Timothy Topper placed both taxa in the crown-group Stenolaemata.
Baopeng Song showed that phosphate mineralization preserved colonies with soft tissues, styles, and muscle fibers.
The anatomy disproves earlier green-alga claims and pushes bryozoan origins toward the Ediacaran.

1 of 1

Story summary

Scientists in China reported 520-million-year-old bryozoan fossils that confirm the group's Cambrian presence.
The Xiannüdong Formation specimens include Protomelission gatehousei and a new species, Dayingomelission hexaclitia.
Dr. Timothy Topper placed both taxa in the crown-group Stenolaemata.
Baopeng Song showed that phosphate mineralization preserved colonies with soft tissues, styles, and muscle fibers.
The anatomy disproves earlier green-alga claims and pushes bryozoan origins toward the Ediacaran.